This application claims priority from R.O.C. patent application Ser. No. 090105018, filed Mar. 5, 2001, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a rubber plate used in an ion implanter, as well as the method and accessories for preparing the rubber plate.
The ion implanter is a complex apparatus used in the manufacture of doped wafers. During the ion implantation process, wafers to be processed are placed on a platform within the load/unload system of the ion implanter. The present invention is related to a rubber plate disposed on top of this platform.
The platform, represented as platform 10 in FIG. 1a, has primary notches 12 for the wafer pad to pass through and primary holes 11 for locating the platform 10. Wafers are not placed directly on top of the platform. Instead, a rubber plate 30 is placed between the wafer and the platform 10 to prevent sliding, direct impact between the wafers and the platform, and more importantly, allow the wafers to lay evenly on the platform so the heat generated during implanting can be dissipated evenly.
Preparation of the rubber plate in the prior art consists of, first, attaching the rubber plate 30 to the platform 10 (FIG. 1b) and then trimming off unwanted parts from the rubber plate 30 (FIG. 1c). However, this procedure tends to cause damage to the platform 10. Also, the rubber plate 30 may peel off the platform 10 and cause uneven cooling of the wafers during ion implantation, which in turn leads to sticky or broken wafers. Also, debris may be produced during the trimming process and hamper wafer production.
The present invention is directed to a method and accessories for trimming a rubber plate used in an ion implanter without the above drawbacks of the prior art. In specific embodiments, the rubber plate is trimmed prior to being placed on the platform using a template that matches the shape and features of the platform. The trimmed rubber plate is then placed on top of the platform. In this way, the problems of in situ trimming of the rubber plate are avoided so as to ensure the quality and efficiency of wafer production.
An aspect of the present invention is directed to a set of trimming accessories for trimming a rubber plate which is configured to be placed on a platform of an ion implanter, wherein the platform of the ion implanter includes a plurality of primary holes and a plurality of primary notches. The set of trimming accessories comprises a trimming member configured to trim the rubber plate and a template. The template includes a plurality of secondary holes corresponding to the plurality of primary holes of the platform of the ion implanter and a plurality of secondary notches corresponding to the plurality of primary notches of the platform of the ion implanter. The template is adapted to guide the trimming member to trim the rubber plate to form a plurality of tertiary holes in the rubber plate corresponding to the plurality of secondary holes of the template and to form a plurality of tertiary notches in the rubber plate corresponding to the plurality of secondary notches of the template.
In some embodiments, the trimming member comprises a knife or a laser. An optical detector is configured to detect contours of the template formed by the plurality of secondary holes and the plurality of secondary notches. A controller is coupled to the trimming member and to the optical detector to control the trimming member based on the detected contours of the template from the optical detector to trim the rubber plate to form the plurality of tertiary holes in the rubber plate corresponding to the plurality of secondary holes of the template and to form the plurality of tertiary notches in the rubber plate corresponding to the plurality of secondary notches of the template. The template is adapted to be placed over the rubber plate for guiding the trimming member to trim the rubber plate.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for trimming a rubber plate which is configured to be placed on a platform of an ion implanter, wherein the platform of the ion implanter includes a plurality of primary holes and a plurality of primary notches. The method comprises providing a template including a plurality of secondary holes corresponding to the plurality of primary holes of the platform of the ion implanter and a plurality of secondary notches corresponding to the plurality of primary notches of the platform of the ion implanter. The rubber plate is trimmed using the template as a guide to form a plurality of tertiary holes in the rubber plate corresponding to the plurality of secondary holes of the template and to form a plurality of tertiary notches in the rubber plate corresponding to the plurality of secondary notches of the template.
In some embodiments, the template is placed over the rubber plate for guiding a trimming member to trim the rubber plate. A controller automatically controls a trimming member based on contours of the template to trim the rubber plate to form the plurality of tertiary holes in the rubber plate corresponding to the plurality of secondary holes of the template and to form the plurality of tertiary notches in the rubber plate corresponding to the plurality of secondary notches of the template. The method may further comprise optically detecting the contours of the template and providing the detected contours to the controller to automatically control the trimming member based on the detected contours of the template to trim the rubber plate. The tertiary holes in the rubber plate are trimmed to match the primary holes of the platform and the tertiary notches in the rubber plate are trimmed to match the primary notches of the platform.
Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for trimming a rubber plate which is configured to be placed on a platform of an ion implanter, wherein the platform of the ion implanter includes a plurality of primary holes and a plurality of primary notches. The method comprises providing a template including a plurality of secondary holes corresponding to the plurality of primary holes of the platform of the ion implanter and a plurality of secondary notches corresponding to the plurality of primary notches of the platform of the ion implanter. The template is placed over the rubber plate. A trimming member is automatically controlled for trimming the rubber plate to form a plurality of tertiary holes in the rubber plate corresponding to the plurality of secondary holes of the template and to form a plurality of tertiary notches in the rubber plate corresponding to the plurality of secondary notches of the template.
In some embodiments, the contours of the template are optically detected and the detected contours are provided to the controller to automatically control the trimming member based on the detected contours of the template to trim the rubber plate. The tertiary holes in the rubber plate are trimmed to match the primary holes of the platform and the tertiary notches in the rubber plate are trimmed to match the primary notches of the platform. The trimmed rubber plate can then be placed on the platform so that the tertiary holes of the rubber plate match the primary holes of the platform and the tertiary notches of the rubber plate match the primary notches of the platform.